"My theory is that if you hang around an unattached woman long enough you'll eventually figure out why she is unattached. Except for the truly aestheticaly-challenged, most women that want to marry get married. Those that don't simply don't."
Maybe true for most, but not me, I have wanted to be married; but being a widow hasn't helped.
Yep. I want to get married for the right reasons (love, committment, children, etc.)- not because society expects me to be, or because someone falsely thinks there 'must be something wrong with her'. It's a question of marrying 'just any guy'. Call me a prude, but I don't want 'just any guy'.
I'm sorry for your loss. I'd put you in a different category than the author though. You *were* married. It's not the same social pressure as the never-marrieds face. Not to minimize what you do face, but it's different.
I do know some widows who tend to turn off prospective second husbands by waxing about how wonderful the first husband was. Most men (and women for that matter) will shy away from someone who is expecting someone as wonderful as their dear departed. Particularly if there are children involved.
I think sometimes of all the widows created by 9-11 and the War on Terror. It takes a tough woman to pick up and start over. Bless all of them.